All posts by Michael Rogers
Below are all of Michael Rogers's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
mental typo - it should of course be "coronal mass ejection". But I probably have the typo version at times :-) I have a couple of steam-age wireless sets (sic), so in the event, I could still enjoy Radio Kim J Un etc...
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Tim, could you kindly provide a link to the original source of the notification of COM7 from the Caradon mast. Thus far I find no test transmissions on ch 31.
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Tim, Many thanks! I didn't think of the coverage checker :-) And I had not noticed that COM 7 is HD. So my lowly SD box would be blind. But I do have a vintage HD box in the loft, so I will have to borrow a duster from the XYL . . . I may not get a signal from Caradon at 50+ miles, but the checker sugests Wenvoe, so I will have to hoist a dedicated log and possibly dynamite the headland in the way... Before I do that, I had better check whether the programmes available on COM 7 merit the effort...
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DAB is kinda like improved AM : more stations than FM, acceptable audio if not too far from the transmitter. They could do better... I hope that DAB and FM continue to co-exist for many moons to come - with AM retained for low-lying and distant areas.
What will happen in Scotland in the event of a YES remains a conundrum. Some form of compromise would presumably ensue, with a big fistful of Licence-fee Euros being handed over Hadrian's Wall to ensure continued coverage of BBC output. I would be somewhat wary of investing in new kit until, post September, the crystal ball reveals the future. Until then, internet radio is probably the safest and most cost-effective option.
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"MikeP: BMW is introducing streaming technology to its cars, ... "
STUPENDIFEROUS NEWS ! Humbly crave encrypted communication of the next winning lottery numbers as my rural hedge-scratched rust-bucket stream-wilts, digitally speaking... FM swishes as if waterboarding, AM is hissy, but pleasing.
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It would be delightful beyond words to know the cause of these frequent disruptions. In a democracy, licence-fee extortees would be entitled to know how their pennies are being squandered - qv. ....
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MikeB - where there is a stable mobile signal, that is, technically, the mode of choice. In many locations there is no reliable 3G signal, as here. Even where there is a stable 3/4G signal, extended listening eats into the monthly download allocation. I don't "want" hissy AM, but that is often the least-bad option. Not an option now, sadly, but DRM on long and mediumwave would have offered a better compromise for listeners and broadcasters alike. My DAB radio gets me no stations of interest which I cannot receive on an AM/FM radio.
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MikeB : I am sure that with a bit of phrase-tweaking we would totally concur. Forsooth, we should both be in high places earning megabucks wordcrafting pertinent legislation. This afternoon I was overtaken at speedlimit+15mph on a blind curve by a suave sporty thing. Had an oncoming driver been distracted by tuning in Stravinsky or Jimmy H at that moment (I like both) ... I think I will stay home for a week and listen to my crystal set in relative safety. BTW, my LW relic was permanently tuned to 162kHz, so no twiddling distraction. I had to rescue it from the former deceased motor and install it in its successor :-) The successor therof does not permit installation of a radio-of-choice, so I mostly drive in silent chagrin. I tried slipping in one of my favourtie 78rpm classics, but it refused to enter the designated slot. I do, however, have a cunning plan to build a 162kHz receiver which I could plug into the i-thingy socket of the new motor's FM/MW radio, which incidentally offers pathetic audio quality. Although a new on the market, the new German motor does not offer a DAB option - not even as a retrofit. Hmm... I am fully aware that I be one of few on this or any other planet with such excentric predilections.
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"odd geography" - that rings true, very very true - and, evidence suggests, such is of litle concern to the powers that be, whether on this isle or, even less, in Junkie-land...
That said, all signal-loss that might be imputed to domestic cabling must needs be investigated and, if proven, expurged. However, if anywhere in, on or around your property, you have unimpeded line-of-sight to the position of the 28°E satellite, satellite is your solution of choice.
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Tuesday 27 May 2014 10:42PM
EMP is relevant in the wider discussion of the optimal mix of modes and platforms "for all seasons". Assuming no untoward event, digital modes offer the widest choice, although spoilt to some degree by the lack of consensus on standards. Entertainment favours high-bitrate digital or FM, information is most efficiently conveyed via analog. Considering widest outreach to the largest audience at lowest cost, traditional analog can maintain a strong case. Certain emerging nations know why they continue to invest in powerful shortwave transmitters, whilst others are targeting the minority with access to digital modes. Longwave, Mediumwave and Shortwave (LMS) can reach many millions with one transmitter, whereas VHF and UHF digital modes require a multiplicity of transmitters and complex maintenance structures. SHF by satellite has appeal, but this is mitigated by technical vulnerability and complexity. In times of crisis, analog LMS can be received by simple, cheap battery-powered radios. Even local events, such as flooding, storms etc limit reception by mains-dependent equipment. A Coronary Mass Ejection event (CME) is currently more likely than a human-devised device to cause EMP disruption, but either is conceivable. Recent solar research has highlighted the CME risk. A major EMP could wipe out most electronics over a very wide area. Even isolated high-tech circuit boards would be susceptible to destructive surges from EMP-induced radiation. If we consider how our economic structures would perform without our all-pervasive digital networks, the risk appears comparable to that of the cold-war era of managed probability. But if conflagration hadensued, the outcomes would have been unimaginable. In any crisis, whether local or major, information and communication become top priorities. Fair-weather transmission modes are supberb - until the weather turns less fair. The EMP issue is therefore relevant to the dilemma : which broadcast modes best meet all criteria in all seasons?